Would love to hear from the experienced members here about my thoughts. I believe that moving towards dedicated professional staff could help bring consistency and a broader impact to our initiatives. However, I’m a bit concerned about staying connected with grassroots volunteers and ensuring that we maintain the community spirit that’s so essential to our mission. It’s important to find a balance between professional efforts and the natural drive of volunteers.
Regarding what might be missing, I think we could benefit from some better evangelizing handouts and improved branding for our noble initiatives. For instance, many corporations are increasingly focused on going green/ESG/eco-friendliness, even if it requires time and resources. Similarly, we need to articulate the samaritan and long-term benefits of open source in a way that resonates with business language to invite time and money to contribute to open source. Additionally, providing helpful tools to simplify the adoption process and identify open-source licensing tools and gaps would also be incredibly beneficial.
In terms of swag, there is a shop for OSI branded swag:
I for one would like to see a collared shirt of some kind, and maybe a coffee mug. I’ve got an old OSI branded coffee mug I received from someone at OSI maybe 20 years ago and still use.
My limited OSI swag is also getting to be of a certain age. I’d love to see some pieces that aren’t just the logo. Swag has a purpose, and it serves that purpose only if people actually use it, so it needs to be as appealing as possible to encourage that and to encourage people to start conversations based on it.
OSI, with its well-established and widely respected licenses in the IT industry, holds significant credibility. Its licensing expertise is a major asset, but to maximize its impact, additional monetization strategies should be explored. Beyond licensing, a strong focus on community-building efforts and strategic industry collaborations can further elevate OSI’s influence and financial sustainability.
While open source is widely recognized, the real challenge is making sure people truly understand OSI’s role and contributions. We need to proactively define our presence rather than assuming people already know us.
Some key areas to focus on include:**
Hosting online events, seminars, and actively participating in international organizations. Collaborations with universities, research institutes, and tech giants, supported by a strong social media strategy, can amplify OSI’s reach.
Developing new certification programs for industry professionals. This would be a strong long-term strategy to establish OSI as an authority in open-source expertise.
Expanding structured open-source training and certification programs for industries such as law, compliance, auditing, cybersecurity, and beyond. These initiatives would provide immense value and open new revenue opportunities.
On another note, opensource.net is a great initiative. I love the idea and believe it has strong potential for independent monetization. Of course, the site could use some improvements, but with the right effort, it can be refined and leveraged effectively.
I’d also be happy to contribute to this project, drawing from my experience to help it grow and succeed.
